Strengthen your donor stewardship plan in 3 simple steps

Donor stewardship may sound complex, but it simply refers to the steps your organization takes after a donor gives to ensure future giving. You steward donors when you thank them, update them on the impact of their gift, and follow up to deepen the relationship.

In this article, we’ll cover effective donor stewardship best practices. Plus, we’ll share some of the best tips for successful stewardship.

What is donor stewardship?

Donor stewardship is the process by which nonprofit organizations nurture and manage their relationships with supporters after they’ve made a contribution. It focuses on ensuring that donors feel valued, appreciated, and engaged, which can lead to continued support in the future.

For many organizations, donor stewardship programs focus on goals like increasing donors’ gift sizes. However, the ultimate goal of stewardship is to build meaningful, long-term relationships with your supporters.

3 key steps to successful donor stewardship 

1. Segment your donor base ✂️

Donor segmentation can help you tailor your stewardship strategy to different groups based on their unique qualities and preferences.

There are many strategies to break your donor base into bite-sized, easy-to-manage pieces. You can segment according to:

• Demographics (e.g., gender, age, race, and location) 👤
• Average donation amount 💸
• Giving frequency 📈
• Number of years they’ve supported your cause 📅
• Donation preferences (online, by phone, by mail) 💌

Another segmenting best practice is sorting supporters into a donor pyramid:

• Major donors and planned givers
• Recurring donors, mid-level donors, and high-frequency donors
• First-time donors, small donors, low-frequency donors
• Volunteers, supporters, and prospective donors

In theory, the highest level (major donors) comprises your high-value donors, usually the smallest group, while the lowest level (volunteers, supporters) forms the bulk of your donor base. Your stewardship efforts should aim to move supporters from the bottom to the top of the pyramid, gradually flipping it upside down.

🚀 Pro tip: If it takes 36 months for your average first-time giver to become a monthly donor, set a goal to reduce this conversion time to 32 months. Then, target this segment using the engagement techniques we cover below.

More to explore

Engage donors at every step of the donor life cycle →

2. Communicate consistently 💬

You shouldn’t overwhelm your supporters with daily emails, phone calls, and donation request letters. But a regular, purposeful donor communication strategy is crucial.

Examples of purposeful communication include:

• Automated donation receipts and thank you notes 
• Social media posts 
• Annual reports and impact reports
• Outbound email and text blasts 
• Direct mail 

When crafting your communication strategy, we recommend sharing:

• Interesting articles and resources 📚 Initiate conversations, provide thought leadership, and educate supporters with engaging content. 
• Impact stories and results 💛 Share your successes and emphasize how each dollar and hour contributed to the cause—use videos, articles, infographics, reports, and more.
• Frequent volunteer opportunities 🙌 While donors can’t always give, they may jump at the chance to volunteer or promote your fundraiser. 

🚀 Pro tip: Don’t forget in-person communication like community events, fundraisers, and one-on-one visits. Remember to follow each donor’s communication preferences, too! 

3. Reward support with gratitude and recognition 💛

Saying “thank you” is one of the easiest ways to cultivate loyal donors and boost your donor retention rates while stewarding future gifts.

Best of all, there’s no shortage of ways to make your supporters feel appreciated—whether they donated $1 or $10,000. Here are some of the best recognition ideas:

• Membership programs 🤝 Give specific donors access to a membership program with benefits like free event tickets, merchandise, or early access to news and updates.
• Social media shoutouts 🗣️ Grab the social media megaphone and say thank donors by name with heartfelt posts, images, and GIFs. With Givebutter’s live supporter feed, you can connect with your amazing supporters directly from your fundraising page to engage in a fun, familiar way.
• Personal phone calls 📱 Have a member of your nonprofit’s leadership reach out to key supporters for a friendly, one-on-one conversation.
• Video and audio messages 📹 Craft a brief, personalized video message in ThankView to quickly connect with and appreciate donors online.
• Honor rolls 🏆 Organize donors according to their giving levels, then list your donor honor roll in event brochures and other materials.
• Naming rights 🌲 Allow donors to leave a legacy by naming buildings, benches, or trees!

When expressing gratitude, we recommend keeping the 3:1 ratio in mind: 

For every one donation, ticket purchase, or merchandise sale, aim to thank your supporters at least three times. 

For example, if you receive a $250 donation for your food pantry program, you could send a donation confirmation email with a thank you note, mail a handwritten card, and include the donor’s name in your year-end report.

🚀 Pro tip: If crafting the right recognition strategy feels complicated, send out a survey to ask donors which messages, events, and gifts resonate with them—and why. 

More to explore

15 donor gift ideas your supporters will love →

Download your free donor stewardship matrix template  

Ready to put your stewardship plan into action? We’ve got just what you need!

Download your free donor stewardship matrix template to map out how exactly your team should interact with donors based on their giving levels.

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Do more with your donor stewardship with Givebutter

Donor stewardship techniques may evolve, but if your donors feel seen, heard, and appreciated, they’ll keep returning to support your mission year after year.

With Givebutter, nonprofits get access to a free donor management CRM, top-rated fundraising, marketing, and engagement tools, plus award-winning customer support. It doesn’t get butter than that!

Ready to put your donor stewardship ideas into action? Sign up for your free Givebutter account today to get started.

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Maximize impact with nonprofit CRM bulk email →

Donor stewardship FAQs 

What is good donor stewardship?

Donor stewardship and fundraising go hand in hand. When nonprofits nail stewardship—consistently nurturing relationships with donors by acknowledging their contributions, keeping them informed about their impact, and making them feel valued—donors remain committed to the cause.

What is another word for donor stewardship?

Other terms for donor stewardship include donor care, donor cultivation, and donor engagement. These terms emphasize building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with donors.

What is the difference between donor relations and stewardship?

Donor relations broadly cover all aspects of managing donor interactions, including communications, events, and recognition. Stewardship focuses specifically on acknowledging and maintaining donor relationships after gifts are made. 

Stewardship is about showing gratitude and demonstrating the impact of their contributions, rather than the entire life cycle of donor engagement.

What is the difference between stewardship and donation?

Stewardship refers to the actions taken to maintain and strengthen the relationship with donors after they give, ensuring that they feel valued and informed. 

A donation, on the other hand, is the initial financial or in-kind gift a donor makes to an organization. While donations kickstart the relationship, stewardship sustains it over time.

What is donor cultivation vs. stewardship?

Donor cultivation focuses on building relationships with potential donors to secure their initial gifts. Donor stewardship, however, is the process of maintaining and strengthening relationships with existing donors to encourage continued support.